Welcome to the latest Celebrate Lit Tour!
This epic fantasy will take you on a journey of faith and awakening alongside some incredible animals who remember there’s more to life than their personal comfort and safety.
There are times, such as when the boy, Miracle, shares his story, that you’ll probably cry.
Then again, there’s other times when you’ll either roll your eyes or have to laugh at how fitting certain observations and comments are.
Please note that this post contains affiliate links for your convenience. If you make a purchase through one of the links, I may make a small commission. I only recommend books and resources that I’ve enjoyed personally, or believe that you would like. You can read my full disclosure here. You will also find information on Scripture translations there.
About the Book
Book: The Trail to the Lonely Tree (Book 1 of the Jaguar Oracle Series)
Author: Kurt Mähler
Genre: Christian Magical Realism Fantasy
Release date: September 30, 2024
A richly poetic tale of friendship, courage, and destiny that will awaken the imagination of children and adults alike.
When Oracle, a jaguar from the Yucatán, learns of the dying words of the last jaguar in the Rio Grande Valley, he finds himself on a perilous journey to see a prophecy fulfilled.
To do so he must travel 1,400 miles to Texas and find the Lonely Tree, where his kin spoke an enigma to the heavens as hunters took him down. But the Lonely Tree is in the dangerous realm of Man—and Oracle will need more than his own wisdom and strength to fulfill the task.
Oracle remembers Eden and the naming of the animals; what Adam spoke to the first of each kind. He discovers the animals in the Valley have forgotten their names—as has Man himself.
Can he not only fulfill the prophecy, but help the animals reclaim ancient truths before they are lost forever?
This hope-filled tale explores the quest for courage in a fallen world and how to make the faith journey—and its sacrifices—worthwhile.
Click here to get your copy!
My Review
This is a unique tale, and I’m glad I had the opportunity to read the first installment. I didn’t realize it was book one of six until after I’d finished reading it, which shifts my perspective a bit. There’s a lot more setup required in a six-book epic adventure.
I’ll admit I had a hard time getting into the story, and it never quite grabbed me the way I was hoping (probably more because my life is upside down at the moment), but it did give me quite a bit to think about.
For instance, this quote got me thinking about how often I choose the predictable, normal, safe option rather than the faith option:
“I wish I had a more noble reason to give you, but there is no noble reason, only a natural one. Jaguars, like almost all things moving under the sun, prefer the predictability of their own paths to the ancient one. For they imagine in their hearts, ‘My own path is the safest, for here I will stay full, but to seek a new path is to risk being empty.’”
Kurt Frederick Mähler, The Trail to the Lonely Tree
One thing that fascinated me was the way Oracle was able to help others remember the names Adam gave them, and who they were created to be. How both man and animals remembered how to do the things that needed doing, but had lost the WHY.
And the name the animals gave the ark, the “Tomb of the Fallen Trees” made me laugh out loud.
But the perspectives of the animals and the ‘lost manchild’ are so well done and challenging that you won’t regret a journey with Oracle and his friends, if you give them a chance.
I received a copy of the book from Celebrate Lit and chose to review it here. All thoughts are my own.
About the Author
Kurt Mähler writes in the prophetic and poetic tradition, inspired by the wonder of creation and cultures of the world. He and his wife have served in forty nations as encouragers in the Christian faith, where Kurt discovered the beauty and wisdom of storytelling. His roots include the Gulf Coast, Rio Grande Valley, and Heart of Texas.
More from Kurt
During my eleven years in Afghanistan with my wife Karen and five children, I learned that sometimes we need ‘aha’ moments instead of how-to manuals; a story instead of a sermon; an encounter instead of a lecture.
That’s why my answer to the question, “What if a jaguar appeared in South Texas?” is saturated with parables, prayers, poems, proverbs, and prophetic words set in the voices of creation.
My wife Karen is from where this imaginary tale takes place, so I have visited it often. On one visit, I saw a 1946 black-and-white photo of what was believed to be the last jaguar in the Rio Grande Valley. Hunters gathered around their prize. The question, “What if a jaguar came back here?” struck like a match inside me and became a bonfire of discovery for six books, beginning with The Trail to the Lonely Tree.
C.S. Lewis, George MacDonald, Tolkien, Milton, and Dante are the literary mentors I have looked to for this Christian fantasy, which, in my case, is a form called “magical realism.”
It’s real in that you can visit, for example, the Port Isabel lighthouse or the Rio Grande River; it’s magical in that I have immersed that world into another one—one that isn’t “real” yet completely true. The ranches are fictitious and yet, as symbols, speak the truth to the way things are and the way things could be as wheat and weeds grow together in the realm of Man.
The descriptions of the animals and plants of the Rio Grande Valley are as accurate as I could labor to attain. For the stars, I employed the astronomy app Starry Night Enthusiast 8 to precisely describe the activity of the heavens during the time of the tale, which is from September 2016 through August 2017 in Book 1.
The herblore is a work of research too. Patch the raccoon heals a friend’s injury with aloe vera and the pita plant, while later he and ab aplomado falcon named Sent attempt to heal an ailing, abandoned child with leaves of the anacahuita (Texas wild olive); twigs of the allthorn (amargoso); and tasajillo berries of the Christmas cactus.
A word about the jaguar named Oracle. He isn’t Aslan, but he sure seems to have spent time with him. His faith journey might be like yours, with clues to the future, a heart to serve others—and profound disappointments along the way.
Let’s discover together how to begin again, own our faith, leverage our sorrows, and pick up the trail before us. For the way to our future often begins with a memory. Our destinies are found in the first things our Creator told us long ago in childhood and before. That is where we will most likely find courage for our calling.
I don’t mean ‘calling’ in the sense of clergy alone, but in the sense of living as your original self, the one God thought of when He said, “Let there be…”
I wrote this tale to impart such courage.
Blog Stops
Texas Book-aholic, December 12
Vicky Sluiter, December 13 (Author Interview)
Locks, Hooks and Books, December 14
Library Lady’s Kid Lit, December 15 (Author Interview)
Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, December 15
Abba’s Prayer Warrior Princess, December 16
Simple Harvest Reads, December 17 (Author Interview)
Denise L. Barela, December 17
Aryn The Libraryan, December 18
For the Love of Literature, December 19 (Author Interview)
Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, December 20
Tell Tale Book Reviews, December 21 (Author Interview)
Blogging With Carol, December 22
Blossoms and Blessings, December 23 (Author Interview)
Holly’s Book Corner, December 24
Stories By Gina, December 25 (Author Interview)
Giveaway
To celebrate his tour, Kurt is giving away the grand prize of a $50 Amazon gift card, a detailed digital map of the entire six-book tale, a paperback copy of the book, and an audiobook copy of the book!!
Be sure to comment on the blog stops for extra entries into the giveaway! Click the link below to enter.
One Comment on “Trail to The Lonely Tree”
Thank you for the review